


F***ing Crossbows

by natashasbanner



Series: Prompts [61]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-07 17:04:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16857904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natashasbanner/pseuds/natashasbanner
Summary: Nat get's injured on a mission.For the prompt: Natasha ends up getting gravely injured on a mission, but she stubbornly decides to hide the injury from everyone, Bruce only finds out because she collapses in his arms.





	F***ing Crossbows

**Author's Note:**

> Kind of veers away from the prompt but the gist is there. Please enjoy.

“Widow, what’s your status?” Sam’s voice crackled into her comm link.

“I’m inside,” she whispered. “Where are they?” 

The building was completely dark, they’d knocked out the power before she entered. Wanda got everything evacuated except for the cell they were after. Natasha was going in to neutralize the threat and rescue the hostages that were still inside. 

She could hear voices around the corner and slowed her pace. 

“I’ve got seven heat signatures,” Sam informed her and she knew  “I’m counting four hostiles, two in the hall, two guarding the hostages. They’ve all got night vision so be careful.”

She smirked and stopped at the corner at the end of the hallway. 

“I know how to handle myself, Falcon.” 

“Hey, I’m just the messenger,” he laughed into the calm. “Talk to the big guy.” 

Natasha’s smile softened. Bruce was with them on this mission. They knew the cell was keeping hostages and they weren’t sure what state they’d find them in. He agreed to come along in case anyone was in need of immediate medical attention. He was back on the quinjet a few buildings over with Sam waiting for extraction. 

“Is his comm broken?” 

“It’s working just fine,” Bruce muttered. “Please be careful.” 

“Like I said, I know how to handle myself,” she repeated. 

“Okay,” he whispered and Wanda interrupted them. 

“Can we please stay focused?” She sounded a little irritated. “I can’t keep the rest of the tenants away forever.” 

“She’s right,” Sam chimed in and Natasha nodded in agreement, easily slipping back into “mission mode”. “Now’s your chance.” 

“Here goes nothing.” 

Natasha rounded the corner and then stopped again to listen to the two people guarding the door. Their heavy boots slapped against the floor one after the other and she waited until they sounded closer together. 

She tossed a disk down the hallway and listened for it to activate. The familiar electric buzzing sound was immediately followed by a loud groan and a body hitting the floor. She heard the other guard move through the hall, speaking what sounded like Serbian. She waited, holding her breath until he was almost to the corner she was hidden behind before stepping fully into the hall to zap him with the Widow’s bite. 

He hit the ground and she stepped over him to get to the door. She grabbed one of her batons and smashed in the doorknob. It was almost too easy and she realized why the moment she stepped into the room. 

While the guards in the hall had been armed with rifles, the ones keeping watch over the hostages had crossbows. And now she had a bolt sticking out of her stomach. 

“Nat,” Sam’s concerned voice sounded in her ear. 

Natasha realized she was holding her breath and slowly let out a breath through her teeth. She ignored Sam and tossed a disk at the guard who shot her. He was down in an instant, leaving the last guard yelling furiously at her while he stood over the group of women cowering in the corner. 

She pushed the pain to the back of her mind, surging through it to eliminate the last threat. With him on the ground, one of the prisoners looked up at Natasha through tear filled eyes. 

“Thank you,” she said in Natasha’s native tongue. 

“They won’t stay down forever, we need to get to the roof,” Natasha told them urgently, easily responding in Russian.

“We’ll meet you there,” Sam supplied and she could already hear the jet in the distance. 

Natasha helped the women up from the floor, watching them give the guards a wide berth on their way to the hall. The last woman stumbled a little as she stood and Natasha saw the swelling and discoloration around her ankle. 

“My leg,” she muttered, shifting her weight to the other foot. “I can’t walk.” 

“I’ll help you,” Natasha said, reaching to take the girl’s arm and slinging it over her shoulder. 

“You’re hurt,” the girl whispered, looking at the growing blood stain on her tac suit. 

“I’ll be fine.” 

Natasha gritted her teeth and nearly carried the girl through the halls and up the stairs to the roof where Sam waited with the quinjet. Wanda flew onto the roof and helped hurry everyone onto the jet so they could get the hell out of there. 

Sam took off from the roof and it was like a collective sigh of relief. Their families, the ones they’d been able to track down were waiting for them in America at the Russian embassy in Washington DC. They were contacted directly to take on this mission and as a part of their agreement with the UN they were compelled to see it through.  

Natasha was glad they did. She hung back as the women took the seats along the wall of the jet. They looked exhausted as Bruce hurried around them, checking their vitals and tending to any injuries he could. Nobody noticed the bolt sticking out of her abdomen. 

Her adrenaline was beginning to wear off and the pain was starting to shoot up her side and down her leg. She swayed a little and felt Wanda’s hand on her elbow suddenly. 

“When did that happen?” She asked quietly. 

Natasha reached down and touched the end of the bolt. She winced but trailed her fingers around to her back. The tip had barely punctured the skin there. 

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Natasha waved her off and watched Bruce talk to the girl Natasha carried. 

His quiet Russian was the only sound other than the gentle hum of the jet’s engines. He’d surprised Natasha a few months ago with that one. Apparently he’d been spending his newfound downtime studying the Russian language. His accent was absolutely horrible, but he had a good grasp on the actual rules of the language. She’d been touched and she could tell by the look on the girl’s face she appreciated the gesture as well. 

He looked up at her suddenly and his eyes fell on the bolt in her stomach. His eye widened slightly and he looked like he was going to stand and rush over to her, but she shook her head and nodded at the girl. He got the hint and finished wrapping her ankle. 

When he was finished he grabbed the medical bag and headed toward Natasha.

“When were you going to mention that,” he asked and pointed at the bolt. 

Natasha swallowed, by now the pain was throbbing in her abdomen and she was slowly losing the battle of staying on her feet. 

She started to give him a snarky response, but when she moved, a wave of pain radiated through her body. She stumbled forward, feeling a little woozy, and Bruce was right there to catch her. His arms held her steady and slowly lowered her to the floor. 

“It’s not a bad as it looks,” she tried to joke and started coughing. 

The coppery taste in her mouth was concerning and Bruce’s hands pressing gauze around the bolt sent shocks of pain through her body. 

He chuckled, but remained focused on making sure the bolt remained still. 

“I think it’s just as bad as it looks.” 

“Is that your expert medical opinion?”

“I’m not that kind of doctor.” 

“So you’ve said.”

She reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand. “Thank you.” 

He ducked his head and took a piece of gauze to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth. 

“Any time, but maybe next time you let us know when you get shot,” he suggested. “When it actually happens.” 

Natasha shook her head and leaned against his shoulder, closing her eyes. 

“You could have warned me they had fucking crossbows.” 

He moved from his knees to sit properly, leaned back against the center set of seats. 

“You’re the Black Widow, you can handle anything.” 

Natasha smiled. “Damn right.” 


End file.
